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At their February meeting on the 9th, fortified on a cold winter's night by a yummy chicken-rice soup from Mr. Eitutis's kitchen, members of the Blue Ridge School Board approved – among other things – this year's retirement incentive package for teachers. The package this year will pay new retirees 65% of their last year's salary in annual installments over 5 years. No other benefits come with the package.

When they retire, teachers become eligible for a pension under the state Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS). The incentive package is an additional inducement. With salaries and benefits making up a huge part of the district's annual budget, encouraging longer-serving teachers to retire makes way for younger – and cheaper – teachers.

Before they could get to that, however, members recognized some special members of their school community:

• Elementary School Principal Danelle Decker selected Damon Ebhardt and Gabriel Galletti as 5th-Grade Students of the Month for January with the theme of "self control." A soccer player, Mr. Ebhardt is consistently helpful to his teachers and classmates. Ms. Galletti, also a soccer player, is dependable, and may want to become a teacher herself.
  

• Ms. Decker also named Stephanie Gow as Elementary School Staff Member for January. Ms. Gow has 16 years of experience as an educator, 10 of them at Blue Ridge, and is a passionate advocate for her students.
  
  
• Assistant Principal Brian Woodruff selected Delilah Kennedy as 8th-Grade Student of the Month for January. Ms. Kennedy is a somewhat shy basketball player who nonetheless presented her own statement to the Board.
  

• High School Principal Casey Webster chose Nolan Grande as Senior of the Month for January. Mr. Grande plays soccer and basketball and expects to attend the Pennsylvania College of Technology next year. Mr. Grande wanted to especially recognize one of his teachers, Michelle Montague.
  
  
• Mr. Woodruff selected Katelyn Scott as Senior Athlete of the Month for January. Ms. Scott participates in a long list of activities and expects to study political science next year with a goal of becoming a medical malpractice lawyer.
  
  
• Ms. Webster chose Gregory Bitner for Middle/High School Staff Member for January. Mr. Bitner has spent his entire 27-year career at Blue Ridge teaching social sciences. In fact, he started during Ms. Webster's own senior year.
  

The Board approved a new 5-year contract with its bus operators, including one additional new contractor. Operators will receive a modest 5-cent-per-mile and 50-cent-per-hour increase for activity trips. They are paid for regular operations under a state formula.

In personnel actions, the Board welcomed Anna Warriner as a secondary school counselor to begin the following day.

They also welcomed Jacqueline Stanton as a para-educator, also to begin the following day.

On the recommendation of the Board's Curriculum Committee, some new courses will be added to the district's catalog, including Animal Science I & II, Equine Studies, Typing/Keyboarding and "Susquehanna Root Local History."

The Board approved agreements with 3 counseling services. Two of them, Friendship House and Integrative Counseling Services, already operate in-house at Blue Ridge. The third, Scranton Counseling Center, handles more difficult cases on an out-patient basis.

The Board agreed to an "affiliation agreement" with Penn State to host student teachers at Blue Ridge.

The Board approved its annual support for the popular and long-running Summer Adventures program through Blue Ridge Recreation, Inc. Under this program the district provides some $2,500 in financial support as well as use of some school facilities 3 days a week from late June through July.

The Board approved disciplinary action for 5 students identified only by number. No other details are available.

With budget deliberations to begin next month, Business Manager Brian Dolan drew members' attention to a package he has provided with some preliminary figures for their consideration. The district budget depends heavily on state subsidy; the state budget was late by several months last time, putting many school districts in a precarious position. The budget depends just as heavily on property taxes. Once again, the Board has agreed not to exceed the state "index" for property tax increases (5% for Blue Ridge next year), nor to impose a per-capita tax; the district hasn't assessed an occupation tax for many years. Blue Ridge is fortunate in having a solid fund balance and capital reserve available, and no debt at all. In fact, the treasurer's report shows a healthy general fund balance of just over $4 million at the end of January.

Ms. Decker reported on a new program in the Elementary School, new at least to Blue Ridge – a spelling bee. The competition will culminate in a final spell-off at the end of March.

Until then, you might consider attending one of two Board meetings in March. The first, on the 2nd, will be a first look at the budget. With spending totaling over $23 million, or about $23,000 per student, it's worth the close attention of taxpayers. The next regular business meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 9, 2026. All meetings begin at 7:00pm in the cafeteria in the Elementary School.

On February 6th-8th the Susquehanna County Jr. Holstein Club competed at the Pennsylvania Holstein Association convention in Mars, PA. Members competed in dairy jeopardy, quiz bowl, and the scientific poster contest. These contests test the youths' knowledge of the dairy cow and the dairy industry. Thanks to great coaches, helpful family members, and lots of hard work and dedication, the nine members who competed had great success.

The competitions started with Dairy Jeopardy. Selah Lewis placed second in the Intermediate Division qualifying her to move on to compete at the National Convention in June. The Junior Quiz Bowl team, comprised of Chris Kowalewski, Julia Briechle, Keelan Pavelski, and Ella Lewis, did an excellent job placing second in their division. The Senior Quiz Bowl Team of Madison Soden, Chelsea Empet, Ian Briechle, and Aidan Empet were undefeated and will compete at the National Convention. Chelsea Empet also entered a scientific poster display and placed first in her division. The National Convention will be held in Orlando, Florida in June.